One Health is the collaborative effort of multiple disciplines working locally, nationally, and globally to attain sustainable optimal health for the ecosystem*. It is a cultural and behavioral concept with socioeconomic elements and impact.

*a biological community of living organisms (humans, animals, plants, and microbes) and their physical environment interacting as a system

At the conference, Hans presented evidence that individuals who
experienced a high number of stressful and adverse early life
events before the age of 18 (e.g., parents’ divorce, significant
illness, abuse, etc.) reported more pain to painful and stressful
stimuli as young adults than individuals who experienced fewer
adverse events. Hans said “This study bridges the gap between prior
research in our laboratory and my own dissertation research, which
will incorporate neuroendocrine evidence obtained from animal
models with constructs of coping, resilience, and social support in
humans to investigate pathways through which these stressful early
life events can predispose individuals to being more sensitive to
pain. Determining how this happens could help us understand and
treat chronic pain disorders as well as prevent the transition of
some individuals from experiencing acute pain to living with
chronic pain.”

“The research that I presented involved translating from animals
to humans, models of stress early in life that lead to increased
pain sensitivity or pain-related disorders,” Hans explained. “Texas
A&M One Health’s mission to create collaborations between
animal and human research in order to create optimal health is
important for my research as we seek to integrate research derived
from animal models with factors mediating pain sensitivity in
humans. By incorporating these two domains of research in our
own studies, we hope to come to a better understanding of the
development of chronic pain.”